Week 1: Course Intro and Motivation

DSAN 5500: Data Structures, Objects, and Algorithms in Python

Jeff Jacobs

jj1088@georgetown.edu

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Welcome to DSAN 5500!

Today’s Planned Schedule:

Start End Topic
Lecture 6:30pm 6:50pm Core Principles/Concepts →
6:50pm 7:15pm Algorithmic Thinking vs. Coding →
7:15pm 7:30pm Coding in General vs. Coding in Python →
7:30pm 8:00pm Motivations: Software Design Patterns (OOP) →
Break! 8:00pm 8:10pm
8:10pm 8:35pm Motivations: Data Structures →
8:35pm 9:00pm Motivations: Algorithms and Complexity →

Course Principles

  • Python is a tool (means to an end), not a secret society of knowers
  • Comparative Understanding
  • Learning Data Structures and Complexity Simultaneously

Before and After

Figure 1: Python before taking DSAN 5500
Figure 2: Python after taking DSAN 5500

Python is a Tool!

  • Like a hammer or like a car, you can care about them in and of themselves (no judgement!), but for most people they’re…
    • For building a house or
    • For getting from point \(A\) to point \(B\)
  • There is no priestly caste of “elite coders”…
    • There are people who win coding competitions (like one of my bffs, so I’m not hating!), like there are people who win hammering competitions
    • …That doesn’t really have much to do with the way we’d like to use Python as Data Scientists or Software Engineers or etc.
  • This will be even more concrete when we look at efficiency: efficiency for what?
    • It goes deep: there are often fundamental tradeoffs between efficiency for [important task A] and [important task B]

Developing a Comparative Understanding

“We hardly know ourselves, if we know nobody else”

–(Blue Scholars, “Sagaba”)

  • The course focuses on Python, but part of understanding Python is understanding how Python does things differently from other languages!
    • (Most prominent in this course: static types)
  • Just as C was “overtaken” by Java, then Java was “overtaken” by Python, Python will someday be overtaken
  • If I do my job well, it won’t matter – you’ll be ready for the next big language 💪
  • In fact, the main textbook for the course (CLRS) is not written in Python or any language at all – it’s “pseudocode”

The Numbers

Code 
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import plotly.express as px
import plotly.io as pio
pio.renderers.default = "notebook"
lang_df = pd.read_csv("assets/gh_issues.csv")
# The data for 2022 is essentially useless
lang_df = lang_df[lang_df['year'] <= 2021].copy()
lang_df['time'] = lang_df['year'].astype(str) + "_" + lang_df['quarter'].astype(str)
lang_df['prop'] = lang_df['count'] / lang_df.groupby('time')['count'].transform('sum')
lang_df.head()
#sns.lineplot(data=lang_df, x='year', y='count', color='name')
# Keep only most popular languages
keep_langs = ['Python','JavaScript','C','C++','C#','Java','Ruby']
pop_df = lang_df[lang_df['name'].isin(keep_langs)].copy()
fig = px.line(pop_df,
  x='time', y='prop', color='name',
  template='simple_white', title='Programming Language Popularity Since 2012',
  labels = {
    'time': 'Year',
    'prop': 'Proportion of GitHub Issues'
  }
)
fig.update_layout(
  xaxis = dict(
    tickmode = 'array',
    tickvals = [f"{year}_1" for year in range(2012,2022)],
    ticktext = [f"{year}" for year in range(2012,2022)]
  )
)
fig.show()

Research Particular Subfields!

  • For example, if you’re interested in pursuing Economics, you’ll want to learn Stata
  • Physics? You may want to learn MATLAB
  • For pure mathematics: Julia / Mathematica
  • Statistics, sociology, psychology, political science: R
  • Web development: JavaScript / TypeScript
  • The holy grail: you’re comfortable with Python but can also think in general, language-agnostic terms about algorithmic and data-structural efficiency!

Tying Yourself to the Mast

  • The tired 3am version of you will thank present you for writing useful comments, exceptions, and type hints!

John William Waterhouse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who/What is the Code For?

These files all do literally the exact same thing (implement jQuery)… so why are there four versions?

jquery-3.7.1.js
/*!
 * jQuery JavaScript Library v3.7.1
 * https://jquery.com/
 *
 * Copyright OpenJS Foundation and other contributors
 * Released under the MIT license
 * https://jquery.org/license
 *
 * Date: 2023-08-28T13:37Z
 */
( function( global, factory ) {

    "use strict";

    if ( typeof module === "object" && typeof module.exports === "object" ) {

        // For CommonJS and CommonJS-like environments where a proper `window`
        // is present, execute the factory and get jQuery.
        // For environments that do not have a `window` with a `document`
        // (such as Node.js), expose a factory as module.exports.
        // This accentuates the need for the creation of a real `window`.
        // e.g. var jQuery = require("jquery")(window);
        // See ticket trac-14549 for more info.
        module.exports = global.document ?
            factory( global, true ) :
            function( w ) {
                if ( !w.document ) {
                    throw new Error( "jQuery requires a window with a document" );
                }
                return factory( w );
            };
    } else {
        factory( global );
    }

// Pass this if window is not defined yet
} )( typeof window !== "undefined" ? window : this, function( window, noGlobal ) {

// Edge <= 12 - 13+, Firefox <=18 - 45+, IE 10 - 11, Safari 5.1 - 9+, iOS 6 - 9.1
// throw exceptions when non-strict code (e.g., ASP.NET 4.5) accesses strict mode
// arguments.callee.caller (trac-13335). But as of jQuery 3.0 (2016), strict mode should be common
// enough that all such attempts are guarded in a try block.
"use strict";

var arr = [];

var getProto = Object.getPrototypeOf;

var slice = arr.slice;

var flat = arr.flat ? function( array ) {
    return arr.flat.call( array );
} : function( array ) {
    return arr.concat.apply( [], array );
};


var push = arr.push;

var indexOf = arr.indexOf;

var class2type = {};

var toString = class2type.toString;

var hasOwn = class2type.hasOwnProperty;

var fnToString = hasOwn.toString;

var ObjectFunctionString = fnToString.call( Object );

var support = {};

var isFunction = function isFunction( obj ) {

        // Support: Chrome <=57, Firefox <=52
        // In some browsers, typeof returns "function" for HTML <object> elements
        // (i.e., `typeof document.createElement( "object" ) === "function"`).
        // We don't want to classify *any* DOM node as a function.
        // Support: QtWeb <=3.8.5, WebKit <=534.34, wkhtmltopdf tool <=0.12.5
        // Plus for old WebKit, typeof returns "function" for HTML collections
        // (e.g., `typeof document.getElementsByTagName("div") === "function"`). (gh-4756)
        return typeof obj === "function" && typeof obj.nodeType !== "number" &&
            typeof obj.item !== "function";
    };


var isWindow = function isWindow( obj ) {
        return obj != null && obj === obj.window;
    };


var document = window.document;
jquery-3.7.1.min.js
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Demo 1: Tying Yourself to the Mast

Part 1: Coding in General

Types of Languages: How Do We Actually Execute the Code?

(In chronological order:)

[Compiled: C, C++, Java*]

  • Computer executes a file containing compiled code (.c \(\leadsto\) .exe, .java \(\leadsto\) .class)
  • No “Run Line”/“Run Cell” button(!), only “Compile+Run All Code”

[Interpreted: Python(!), R, JavaScript]

  • Computer runs code line by line
  • Gives rise to REPL (Read-Execute-Print-Loop) framework: a literal game-changer, engine “underneath” Jupyter (mini-demo)

(Me trying to explain compiled languages to Python/R users)

Primitive Types

Boolean (True or False)

Numbers (Integers, Decimals)

None

  • Q: …Why do we distinguish these from all other types?
  • A: Computer knows in advance how much space they’ll take up!
  • Python weirdness: can run x = True then x = "Jeff" next line
    • Not possible in e.g. C, C++, Python!
    • (We’ll see consequence in two slides)

Stack and Heap: Lying-A-Little-Bit Edition

Let’s look at what happens, in the computer’s memory, when we run the following code:

Code 
import datetime
import pandas as pd
country_df = pd.read_csv("assets/country_pop.csv")
pop_col = country_df['pop']
num_rows = len(country_df)
filled = all(~pd.isna(country_df))
alg_row = country_df.loc[country_df['name'] == "Algeria"]
num_cols = len(country_df.columns)
username = "Jeff"
cur_date = datetime.datetime.now()
i = 0
j = None
z = 314
country_df
name pop
0 Albania 2.8
1 Algeria 44.2
2 Angola 34.5

Stack and Heap: Real Python-is-Weird Edition

Code 
import datetime
import pandas as pd
country_df = pd.read_csv("assets/country_pop.csv")
pop_col = country_df['pop']
num_rows = len(country_df)
filled = all(~pd.isna(country_df))
alg_row = country_df.loc[country_df['name'] == "Algeria"]
num_cols = len(country_df.columns)
username = "Jeff"
cur_date = datetime.datetime.now()
i = 0
j = None
z = 314
country_df
name pop
0 Albania 2.8
1 Algeria 44.2
2 Angola 34.5

Algorithmic Thinking

  • What are the inputs?
  • What are the outputs?
  • Standard cases vs. corner cases
  • Adversarial development: brainstorm all of the ways an evil hacker might break your code!

Example: Finding An Item Within A List

  • Seems straightforward, right? Given a list l, and a value v, return the index of l which contains v
  • Corner cases galore…
  • What if l contains v more than once? What if it doesn’t contain v at all? What if l is None? What if v is None? What if l isn’t a list at all? What if v is itself a list?

Corner Cases

  • Most people stand in the center of a room…
  • Eccentric weirdos stand in the corner
  • Your algorithm needs to handle all people

Demo

Streamlit Dictionary Lookup Demo

Part 2: Python Specifically

#1 Sanity-Preserving Tip!

  • (For our purposes) the answer to “what is Python?” is: an executable file that runs .py files!
    • e.g., we can run python mycode.py in Terminal/PowerShell
  • Everything else: pip, Jupyter, Pandas, etc., is an add-on to this basic functionality!
  • Example: Python REPL mode (type just python into Terminal/PowerShell) is like running little 1-line .py files, but instead of terminating Python sits and waits for next 1-line .py file

Code Blocks via Indentation

Code 
for i in range(5):
    print(i)
0
1
2
3
4
Code 
for i in range(5):
print(i)
  Cell In[5], line 2
    print(i)
    ^
IndentationError: expected an indented block after 'for' statement on line 1

Type Hints

  • Not a “standard” Python feature, not enforced by the Python interpreter (can activate enforcement via Pydantic 😉), but can help you maintain sanity!
Code 
def multiply(thing1, thing2):
  return thing1 * thing2
print(multiply(5, 3))
print(multiply("fiveee", 3))
15
fiveeefiveeefiveee
Code 
from numbers import Number
def multiply(thing1: Number, thing2: Number) -> Number:
  return thing1 * thing2
print(multiply(5, 3))
print(multiply("fiveee", 3))
15
fiveeefiveeefiveee

Unit Testing

  • For your life: test-driven development
    • If you’re coding a duck, you should test that it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc.
  • For this class:
    • Public tests: Fully visible, see result plus full code
    • Hidden tests: See result + description of test, but no code
    • Secret tests: We run these after you submit, as a major portion of the total grade

Data Structures: Motivation

Why Does NYC Subway Have Express Lines?

From NYC Central Park website

Why Stop At Two Levels?

From Skip List Data Structure Explained, Sumit’s Diary blog

How TF Does Google Maps Work?

  • A (mostly) full-on answer: soon to come! Data structures for spatial data
  • A step in that direction: Quadtrees! (Fractal DC)

Jim Kang’s Quadtree Visualizations

Algorithmic Complexity: Motivation

The Secretly Exciting World of Matrix Multiplication

  • Fun Fact 1: Most of modern Machine Learning is, at the processor level, just a bunch of matrix operations
  • Fun Fact 2: The way we’ve all learned how to multiply matrices requires \(O(N^3)\) operations, for two \(N \times N\) matrices \(A\) and \(B\)
  • Fun Fact 3: \(\underbrace{x^2 - y^2}_{{\times\text{ twice, }\pm\text{ once}}} = \underbrace{(x+y)(x-y)}_{\times\text{once, }\pm\text{ twice}}\)
  • Fun Fact 4: These are not very fun facts at all

Why Is Jeff Rambling About Matrix Math From 300 Years Ago?

  • The way we all learned it in school (for \(N = 2\)):

\[ AB = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} \\ a_{21} & a_{22} \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} b_{11} & b_{12} \\ b_{21} & b_{22} \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11}b_{11} + a_{12}b_{21} & a_{11}b_{12} + a_{12}b_{22} \\ a_{21}b_{11} + a_{22}b_{21} & a_{21}b_{12} + a_{22}b_{22} \end{bmatrix} \]

  • 12 operations: 8 multiplications, 4 additions \(\implies O(N^3) = O(2^3) = O(8)\)
  • Are we trapped? Like… what is there to do besides performing these \(N^3\) operations, if we want to multiply two \(N \times N\) matrices? Why are we about to move onto yet another slide about this?

Block-Partitioning Matrices

  • Now let’s consider big matrices, whose dimensions are a power of 2 (for ease of illustration): \(A\) and \(B\) are now \(N \times N = 2^n \times 2^n\) matrices
  • We can “decompose” the matrix product \(AB\) as:

\[ AB = \begin{bmatrix} A_{11} & A_{12} \\ A_{21} & A_{22} \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} B_{11} & B_{12} \\ B_{21} & B_{22} \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} A_{11}B_{11} + A_{12}B_{21} & A_{11}B_{12} + A_{12}B_{22} \\ A_{21}B_{11} + A_{22}B_{21} & A_{21}B_{12} + A_{22}B_{22} \end{bmatrix} \]

  • Which gives us a recurrence relation representing the total number of computations required for this big-matrix multiplication: \(T(N) = \underbrace{8T(N/2)}_{\text{Multiplications}} + \underbrace{\Theta(1)}_{\text{Additions}}\)
  • Turns out (using a method we’ll learn in Week 3): given this recurrence relation + base case from previous slide, this divide-and-conquer approach via block-partitioning doesn’t help us: we still get \(T(n) = O(n^3)\)…
  • So why is Jeff still torturing us with this example?

Time For Some 🪄🔥MATRIX MAGIC!🔥🪄

  • If we define

\[ \begin{align*} m_1 &= (a_{11}+a_{22})(b_{11}+b_{22}) \\ m_2 &= (a_{21}+a_{22})b_{11} \\ m_3 &= a_{11}(b_{12}-b_{22}) \\ m_4 &= a_{22}(b_{21}-b_{11}) \\ m_5 &= (a_{11}+a_{12})b_{22} \\ m_6 &= (a_{21}-a_{11})(b_{11}+b_{12}) \\ m_7 &= (a_{12}-a_{22})(b_{21}+b_{22}) \end{align*} \]

  • Then we can combine these seven scalar products to obtain our matrix product:

\[ AB = \begin{bmatrix} m_1 + m_4 - m_5 + m_7 & m_3 + m_5 \\ m_2 + m_4 & m_1 - m_2 + m_3 + m_6 \end{bmatrix} \]

  • Total operations: 7 multiplications, 18 additions

Block-Partitioned Matrix Magic

  • Using the previous slide as our base case and applying this same method to the block-paritioned big matrices, we get the same result, but where the four entries in \(AB\) here are now matrices rather than scalars:

\[ AB = \begin{bmatrix} M_1 + M_4 - M_5 + M_7 & M_3 + M_5 \\ M_2 + M_4 & M_1 - M_2 + M_3 + M_6 \end{bmatrix} \]

  • We now have a different recurrence relation: \(T(N) = \underbrace{7T(N/2)}_{\text{Multiplications}} + \underbrace{\Theta(N^2)}_{\text{Additions}}\)
  • And it turns out, somewhat miraculously, that the additional time required for the increased number of additions is significantly less than the time savings we obtain by doing 7 instead of 8 multiplications, since this method now runs in \(T(N) = O(N^{\log_2(7)}) \approx O(N^{2.807}) < O(N^3)\) 🤯